The Move Forward Party questioned the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC)’s monitoring of the party’s election campaign activities, this week, and asked why an internal state organ was monitoring a political party.
“ISOC in Prachinburi provided a really detailed report on the party’s activities in the province so I would like to ask whether they are free for a job interview with the party’s public relation team…?” said Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, a member of the party and its former spokesman.
His comment came after ISOC’s unit in Prachinburi posted on its Facebook page hourly details of the MFP’s activities during its election campaign in the province.
The post was met with heavy criticism online with social media users asking why ISOC was constantly monitoring the party and its members instead of doing their duty to protect national security.
ISOC is an arm of the military that was set up to counter the communist insurgency in 1965. After the communist threats were subdued, its role was changed to mainly tackle the insurgency in the Deep South.
However, its role was changed again after the 2008 Internal Security Act placed ISOC under the influence of the Office of the Prime Minister and granted it the power to conduct surveillance and investigate situations that might compromise internal security and propose security policies to the cabinet.
MFP list-MP Amarat Chokepamitkul said during the general debate against the government last week that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has been using ISOC to create far-right propaganda, suppress the student-led pro-democracy movement, and monitor political oppositions.
She called for the dissolution of ISOC because its power is being abused by the military-backed government, pointing out the use of the invasive Pegasus spyware that was found on the phones of dozens of activists which the military denied using.
However, Prayut said during the debate that only people who broke the law or intended to break the law have problems with ISOC’s operations and said that ISOC plays an important role in keeping peace and stability.
ISOC’s unit in Prachinburi has since deleted its post following the criticism.
